Sunday, 28 June 2015

I was on my way to look for the remnants of Rosecrans Fort and I passed by a regional meeting of the S.C.A. I had to stop and take some pictures.

It was starting to get warm, so most of the armored people stood under the tree when they were not engaging in combat.

I find it so fascinating to watch the movement of the one on one combat.

This man's armor was beautifully stamped although it is hard to tell from my photo

Here is a closer view.

What follows are some random images that I took of the meet in the Shire of Rising Stone.

I had the chance to chat with some of the participants, including this woman on the right side who is a teacher of French and German and who has just achieved a peerage for sword play.

I love the grace of fencing. Almost any photo has a lovely bablance because each combatant is compensating for the movements of the other and thus there is a natural imagistic balance.

I really like this shot!

It is probably because I have a horror of scorpions. They both fascinate and terrify me. It is an interesting choice of an emblem.

I also got to chat with these lovely people. The lady on the left has on Englishmedieval clothing and the lady on the right is wearing Roman wear (although she usually wears medieval German clothing. I was sorry to not get the chance to see that.)

Thursday, 25 June 2015

I spent last night in a lovely hotel in the middle of rural Illinois and thought I'd put up a few pictures. If you happen to be looking for a place to stay in southern Illinois, I recommend it. There is a pond and lovely landscaping with wooden decks and flowers.

This was the view out my window onto the back yard.

There is a lovely pool (although it doesn't open in the morning until 9:00 AM and I had to leave before then. SIGH!)

This is the lobby. They have a boat hanging from the ceiling and a general maritime theme including cases with a model of the Cutty Sark and such.

This is a riverboat in the pond. It is a wine bar and is used for special occasions and parties.

This is the restaurant.

My room was lovely and clean.

This picture shows you a little of the back yard area. They even have Japanese style lanterns out of copper.

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

So I pass by Mason City at least twice a year and since we just saw The Music Man at the Guthrie Theater, this time I had to stop off and see the statue comemorating Meredith Wilson.

Actually the first think I found was Mizer Madison's the Mason City Public Library. It is a beautiful building with a little lawn with statues in front.

Across the street is Music Man Square.

It is bordered on the left by Meredith Wilson's boyhood home

and on the other side by a Mall constructed to resemble River City from his famous musical.

The littel square in between has a statue of Wilson as a band leader.

The sculpture of Wilson was done by a friend named Paul Kieffer.

For 6$ you get access to the reconstructed town of River City (inside the nearby Mall.

The price gets you into Wilson's home to see his piano and into the museum in the Mall.

The Mall is run by a Not For Profit Foundation and includes a genuine old time ice cream shop and candy store as well as recreations of other famous River City Emporia.

Here is Marcellus' place of work, the livery stable.

The end of the street has the infamous billiard parlor owned by Mayor Shin.

Unfortunately I did not have time to visit the museum or home, but I think it is a worthwhile project they are undertaking and the Mall may be a bit on the touristy side, but it is cute and a nice tribute to the creativity of Wilson.

On July 12 Mason City is bringing people up to see the Guthrie's Music Man production. I wonder if they will feel it does the great man's work justice.